Draft-rigging for cars.



PATBNTED JULY 10, 1906.

I. A. RANDEL.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1906.

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PATBNTBD JULY 10, 1906.

I. A. RANDEL. DRAFT RIGGING FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1906.

2 SHEETS;HEET 2.

15 m, a w J,

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

IVAR A. RANDEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ALVIN C.

\ McCORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOR CARS- 1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IvAR A. RANDEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the 'county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Rigging for Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its especial object to provide an improved draft-rigging for cars, but relates, broadly, to improved means for cushioning the movements of relatively movable bodies.

The invention incorporated in the draftrigging suitable for railway cars is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation,'showing the improved draft-rigging, some parts being broken away. Fig. 2 1S aview, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, on the line a m of Fig. 3. Fi 3 is a plan view of the draft-rigging wit some parts broken away and some parts sectioned. ig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line a as of Fig. 3. verse vertical section taken on the line a m of Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view, in side elevation, illustrating the action of a so-called differential friction-wheel.

In Fig. 3 the numeral 1 indicates draft lugs or abutments, shownlas formed integral with draft-plates 2, which;in, ractice are rigidly secured to the draft-'tim ers of the car, but which, however, may take various forms, so far as my invention is concerned.

The numerals 3 and 4-indicate the primary followers which cooperate with the front and rear pairs of abutments 1, respectively. The rear follower 4 is formed with long laterally-spaced and forwardlyrojecting arms 5, that terminate a considera le distance rearward of the forward follower 3.

The numeral 6 indicates a supplemental follower which is loosely seated between the arms 5 of thefollower 4. This supplemental follower 6 and the cooperating primary follower 3 are formed with seats that closely fit the cylindrical surface of an interposed frictionwheel 7. A cushioning-spring 8, involvmg one or more coils, 1s compressed between Fig. 5 is a trans- Patented July 10, 1906.

I the supplemental follower 6 and the primary i follower 4 and exerts a strain which causes said supplemental follower 6 and the primary follower 3 to tightly press against thesaid E friction-wheel 7. The friction-wheel 7 is formed with an eccentric slot 9, that is elongated slightly in a radial direction, A heavy push-pin or stub-shaft 10 extends transversely through the slot 9 of said frictionwheel and at its ends is seated in the forward ends of the arms 5 of the rear follower 4.

An ordinary draft-bar 11 nor'mall bears at its rear end against the front fol ower 3 and is rovided with a yoke 12, that embraces and is, as shown, provided at its rear extremity with a rigidly-secured block 13, that normally bears directly against the rear fol-" lower 4.

the' f0 owers 3, 4, and 6 in a vertical plane The normal positions of the arts of the lower 4 will be moved forward, while the a front follower 3, and hence the supplemental follower 6, willremain stationary and the cushioning sprin 8 will be compressed. When the rear folIower 4 moves forward, the push-pin 10 is also moved forward, thereby causing the friction-wheel 7 to rotate in frictional contact with the follower 3 and supcompress the spring the greater will be the plemental follower 6. The said frictionfrictional engagement between the said friction-wheel and the said followers 3 and 6.

In the preferred arrangement of this improved cushionin device provision is made for differentially ecreasing the leverage with which the spring-compressing force acts to rotate the frictional wheel or member, so that the cushioning power of thespring and ofthe friction device are differentially increased. Means for difi'erentially increasing the cushionin power of the spring is, however, broafily claimed in the rior patent, No. 763,998, issued to Alvin i. McCord, of date Jul 5, 1904, entitled Draft-rigging for cars.

'l he diagram view Fig. 6 illustrates the difgush-pin 10.

ferential leverage action of the y indicates In the said view the line m'arke the line of travel of the 'axisof the push-pin 10 when the rear follower 4 is moved forward. The line marked y is a line drawn parallel to the line y, intersecting the axis of the friction-' wheel 7. The point marked g indicates the point of contact between the push-pin 10 and the upper wall of the slot 9 of the friction wheel when the said friction-wheel is in norrnal osition. (Indicated in Figsgl, 2, and 3 and by full lines in saidFig. 6.) Thepoint marked y? indicates the point of contact between the said push-pin 10 and the wall of said slot 9 when the. cushioning-spring is given its extreme compression and the said friction-wheel is given its extreme rotation. It will thus be seenthat normallythe point of contact between the push-pin. 10 and the slot of the friction-wheel is far above or away from the axis of rotation of the said frict1on wheel 7 and that under rotation of said friction-wheel this point of contact gradually approaches the line 1/, which is drawn'through the axis of said friction-wheel, thereby gradually decreasing the leverage which the force transmitted through the follower 4 and pushpin 10 has to rotate the said friction-wheel. Of course this decreasing leverage or decreasing ability to rotate'the friction-wheel has the effect of increasing the cushioning power.

of the spring or the ability of thespring to stand draft or bumping strains. As is obvious, shocks to the draft-rigging are greatly reduced by this difierentially-increased frictional. action, and, furthermore, the amount tion of the said friction-wheel is, however, thev same both underdraft and bumping strains.

The device described, even with the spring and supplemental follower removed, would operate to. some'extent as a cushionhaving a varying frictional resistance. The rotary frictional member or wheel 7 I consider a broadly new feature in a cushioning device whether or not it be arranged for differential leverage action, and hence it will of course be understood that the device described is capable of many modifications within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed. As .one modification the rotary friction wheel or member might have inions on its sides and the relatively mova le follower might have racks meshing therewith. As already indicated, this cushioning device is capable of use generally for cushioning the movements of movable bodies respecting each other. It might, for instance, be used in connection with car-springs.

What I claim, and'desi're to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

' 1. A cushioning device comprising a pair of primary followers,-the one -thereof having a pair of projecting arms,a.transverse pushpin mounted in the ends of-s'aid arms, a supplemental follower working between the followerarms, a spring compressed between said sup lemental follower and the said armed fol iower, and a frictional wheel pressed between said sup lemental follower and the other primary fol ower, and having an eccentric slot in which said pushpin Works, substantially as described.

2. A cushioning device comprising a pair of members movable the one with respect to the other, a rotaryfrictional member, and a variable leverage connection whereby a movement of one of said members with respectto the other will rotate said frictional member with a changing leverage, substantially as described,

3. A cushioning device comprising a pair of primary members, a supplemental member, a spring compressed between said supplemental member and one of said primary members, a rotary frictional member pressed between said supplemental member and the other primary member, and a variable levera e connection'whereby a movement of one 0 said primary members with respect to the other will compress said spring and rotate said frictional member with a changing loverage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVAR A. RANDEL.

Witnesses:

EDWARD B. Frmson, ARTHUR B. WALKER. 

